


Through the Screen

by buckyskywalker



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Blushing Bucky Barnes, Blushing Steve Rogers, Bucky Misses Steve, Cutesy, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Skype, Wakanda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 19:39:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14879939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckyskywalker/pseuds/buckyskywalker
Summary: Bucky gets woken up by the Skype notification that his favourite person in the world is calling to video chat: Steven Grant Rogers.





	Through the Screen

The sound of the Skype notification wakes Bucky in a cold sweat. He was supplied with his own laptop which he could barely work, even after five hours of instruction from an exasperated but patient Shuri. Steve had promised Bucky he would Skype him as soon as he could. Bucky is six hours ahead of Steve, in Wakanda. Bucky rolls over and looks at the time: 7:00 am.

Bucky jumps up from the bed and attempts to make himself look presentable. He combs his hair with his fingers and throws on one of the shirts that Steve brought him on his last visit. He attacks the answer button and sits eagerly in front of the screen, still messing with his hair anxiously.

“Buck!” Steve smiles down at his cracked iPad screen to see Bucky untangling his unruly hair. The picture doesn’t move.

“Dammit. It’s frozen already,” mumbles a disheartened Bucky. He stares fondly at the picture on his screen. Steve’s eyes are shut tight from the sheer enthusiasm of his smile and this makes Bucky’s heart skips several beats.

“Hang on, it must be the signal,” Steve adjusts himself on the motel bed. The screen pixelates itself back to normal.

“Hey Steve,” Bucky sighs, now laying on his front with his chin propped up by several pillows. Steve has to stop himself from saying aw, out loud, “How have you been?”

“I think the real question is, how have you been? You’re the one on the run from the law! The most interesting thing that happened to me today was a baby goat headbutting me into the mud,” Bucky blushes as Steve laughs so hard at this that he nearly falls off the bed.

“I’ve missed your cute goat stories. Honestly, I’m glad you had a simpler day than me. I wouldn’t wish this on you, Buck.” Steve hangs his head. He fears he might have worried Bucky as it’s so easy to do, even with something as small as a papercut.

“Is everything okay? Are Sam and Nat okay?” Just as Steve predicted, Bucky’s unique mix of soft worry activates and he’s sitting up now, the pillows he was leaning on, discarded on the floor.

“Just a longwinded mission, that’s all. Don’t worry, babe,” Steve winces as he smiles against his cut lip’s protests. Bucky notices this but decides to keep his manic worry to himself. He knows Steve will be okay, like he always is.

Bucky always admired Steve’s strength. Even before the serum, Steve was ready to go off to war; asthma and all. Bucky never had it in him to admit that he was drafted, and, in all honesty, he was just so desperate to prove himself. It may look like Bucky spent his life protecting a small, stubborn Steve from big bullies in alley ways, but the truth is, Steve was protecting Bucky from having no one in his life. He lost both of his parents early and he hadn’t seen his sister in a long time. Steve was and continues to be the most important person in his life.

“I really wish you were here,” Bucky avoids the camera and can almost feel Steve’s guilt radiating off the screen. He just wants Steve to know that he’s missed by somebody. He looks back at the screen and Steve is looking down at the floor.

“I’m sorry, I know it’s selfish but I just- I just wish you were sitting on this bed with me,” Bucky’s need for Steve’s arms around him becomes too much for him to handle.

“Buck- ”

“I wish your arms were wrapped around my waist whilst I lay my head on your chest as you breathe softly on my neck- ”

“Bucky, wai- ” Steve is clearly trying to warn him about something but Bucky isn’t listening. He also hasn’t noticed that the screen has frozen again…

“I want you to tangle your fingers through my hair and leave a gentle trail of kisses down my- ”

“BUCKY- ” the picture on the screen is back to normal again and Steve isn’t sitting alone anymore.

“Why are you interrupting me? I was just getting to the best par- OH! Hi Sam…and Nat…” Bucky finally opens his eyes from his little fantasy and sees Steve sitting with Sam and Natasha. Steve looks awkward and apologetic and so does Natasha. Sam on the other hand, is trying to stifle laughter and failing miserably.

“No, please carry on,” Sam chokes out his restrained laughter, earning an eye roll from Natasha. She brings her hand behind them and slaps Sam round the back of the head which shuts him up. Steve can’t help but laugh. Bucky is just blushing violently.

“Sorry Steve,” he mumbles. He grabs one of the pillows from the floor and holds it to his chest like some sort of embarrassment shield.

“Sam and Nat just wanted to say hi,” Steve is blushing as well, now.

“Hey, dude. How are things in Wakanda? Heard you’re a farmer now?” Natasha smiles sweetly at Bucky. He always liked Nat. He feels some kind of mutual bond with her and he is extremely fond of how she looks out for his Stevie.

“Yeah, turns out looking after little baby goats is much more rewarding pass time than shooting people,” Bucky laughs nervously, “Not that shooting people was…a pass time…I just mean, uh- ”

“I get it. Looking after life has gotta be miles better than taking it. I think all of us can relate to that,” Natasha hangs her head with a sad smile. In fact, they all do. This wrenches Bucky’s heart. The closer Bucky looks at Steve, the more he’s distracted by his face. Each cut and bruise make his blue eyes pop against his skin.

“Bucky, you okay? Did the picture freeze again?” Steve’s eyebrows furrow with concern and that’s when Bucky realises that he’s been staring for quite a while.

“Sorry I was just- ” he was about to just come out with the fact that he was admiring Steve’s beautiful face but he reconsiders. Then he does it anyway, “I was just thinking how hot those bruises make you look,” that didn’t come out quite how he planned.

Sam laughs, “They really do, Steve. No, seriously,” Sam actually looks like he means what he’s saying and for some reason, this makes Bucky a little jealous. Sam gets to see Steve’s face every day. That’s just not fair.

“They make your eyes pop,” Bucky continues, not shy anymore, “And your lips look pink and kissable,” Bucky smirks when he sees the look on Steve’s astonished face.

“Okay, okay, we get the message. We’re leaving,” Nat grabs Sam’s arm as she walks out the room.

Sam pops his head round the door to say. “You guys are a cute couple,” and is dragged out by Natasha. Once the door closes, Steve lets out a relieved breath and lets his shoulders hang loose.

“Sam likes you really,” Steve smiles fondly, “He talks about you all the time.”

“Wait, really?” this takes Bucky by surprise. Sam talks about him?

Steve chuckles, “He thinks you’re a great soldier, and I do think he misses you. Even if he won’t admit it.”

This makes Bucky smile. “I always knew he was playing hard to get.” Steve burst out laughing and this was a nice view for Bucky. Watching Steve laugh with this much enthusiasm was something Bucky missed from the 40’s. The good old days.

“I really do miss you, Steve.” This halts Steve’s laughter. He holds back the urge to cry. The truth is that he has no idea when he can visit Bucky again and he worries that it might not be for a long time. He just wants to make Bucky happy.

“I do too, babe.” Bucky smiles at the pet name. He’s glad they’re alone again.

“Steve,” Bucky thinks hard about what he really wants to say. Little does he know that Steve is thinking the same thing. “Do you think you could come visit soon? I’m not trying to make you feel guilty, it’s just- it’s been months.”

Steve studies Bucky’s face. His picture is a lot more pixelated than the Wakandan tech but he’s pretty sure he can see tears rolling down Bucky’s cheeks. This mission is over but it’s hard to know when the next one will be called in. It’s tempting to just go fly out to Wakanda right now but it’s not fair on Sam and Nat to just leave them like that.

“I really want to Buck. I really, really so. You have no idea how much I just wanna fly down there right now,” Steve is sincere, but it doesn’t stop Bucky feeling the way he does. He tries to force a smile for Steve, but he knows him too well. His face can’t hide a thing.

“Just fly out there. We can handle our shit- ” Sam’s voice booms through the door followed by a loud thud, a painful grunt and an angry Natasha shushing harshly.

“Sorry Steve. We can hear everything through the walls anyway,” Natasha tries to say anything but the fact that they were clearly eavesdropping. “But Sam is right. Go see Bucky. We got everything under control.”

Steve and Bucky lock eyes through the screen and for the first time, it really felt like they were in the room together because they knew that pretty soon, they really would be.

“See you in ten hours.”

 

 


End file.
